Yemen: Ex-president Saleh leaves for Saudi Arabia

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Officials at the airport of Yemen's capital Sanaa say former president Ali Abdullah Saleh has left for Saudi Arabia for medical treatment on a special Saudi plane.

A senior member of Saleh's Congress Party confirmed Tuesday that the former president will be hospitalized at a Riyadh hospital but did not say what kind of treatment Saleh will receive. He said the party will issue a statement later.

Saleh has been under international pressure to leave the country. His critics accuse him of trying to impede the work of a landmark national dialogue conference that opened two weeks ago, seen as a key step in a power transfer plan for the conflict-torn nation.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.